Dawn to Dusk
by Zeki-Kiryuu-kun628
Summary: What would have happened if Axel was somehow able to change time? Would things have turned out differently? You'll get to see.
1. Chapter 1

_**I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. That honor goes to Tetsuya Nomura. This is just a tribute to the Kingdom Hearts saga since right now I can't afford a Nintendo 3DS or get Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance. So to Kingdom Hearts, Happy tenth birthday and may Kingdom Hearts continue.**_

**Prologue**

**~Sora~**

_It was in a dark chapel that Sora, a fourteen-year-old brunette from Destiny Islands had watched in terror as his home and his two childhood best friends, Riku and Kairi vanish right before his eyes. The last thing he saw was Riku offering his hand out to him saying, "Let's go together". Both of them disappeared within the evil darkness that consumed their world._

_Sora fainted and when he awoke he found himself in a different world known as Traverse Town. There he met two messengers of an unknown king that went missing after he fought the evil entity that consumed Sora's home for years. These messengers were Donald Duck, the king's mage and Goofy, the head of the king's knights. Together; Sora, Donald and Goofy set off to free the worlds that were devoured by the darkness and also consumed Sora's home world and ripped him apart from his friends. They didn't know what laid ahead for them._

_Now Sora found himself confronted by the fact that he couldn't seal the portal with the bright rainbow vortex off or wake Kairi and the other six Princesses of Light from their slumber. He was conflicted, but one thing Riku had said to him during their fight sparked an idea. He approached the keyblade that Riku had used in their previous fight as he tossed aside his own keyblade. Sora knew there would be consequences, but right now the situation seemed hopeless and he was on his last leg. Everybody depended on him._

_Donald and Goofy cried out as they watched Sora stab himself with the keyblade, the Key to People's Hearts through his chest, Sora fell to one knee; blood ran through the part where he stabbed himself through and light enveloped him. He smiled as the hearts that made up the keyblade release themselves and return to the six Princesses of Light that stood in pods on each side of the chapel like dolls. Two hearts were also released from the boy's body; one returned to the lifeless girl's body and she opened her eyes. She saw the heart and the vanishing body of her injured best friend and she screamed, "Sora!"_

_As the seventh Princess of Light, Kairi ran to catch her friend. However, he completely vanished once she caught him. "S-Sora," she gasped. Donald and Goofy stood by grieving over their best friend that had just sacrificed himself to awaken the seven Princesses of Light. What were they going to do now since their hero was gone?_

**Meanwhile**

In a strange forest just on the outskirts of a small town known as Twilight Town was an old mansion; a small light appeared. It sparked about and then a portal of darkness swallowed the heart. The darkness dispersed and a boy emerged. He appeared to be no older than sixteen and he pretty much looked different from anybody in the town. The boy had fair skin, sandy blonde hair which was windswept, a narrow face and piercing aqua-blue irises. He stood there like a zombie and watched as another portal appeared.

However, the person that emerged from this portal was quite different from him. The man was taller and dressed in a dark cloak with a hood that covered his face. The boy stood emotionlessly as the man made four letters, S-O-R-A appear in front of the boy. They spun in front of the boy, but the boy never averted his eyes from them. The man called the letters to a sudden stop and an X was added. "Roxas," the boy said.

"That is right-the new you," the hooded man replied with a slight smirk.

The next few days, a man with spiky red hair, emerald green eyes and tear-drop tattoos underneath his eyes named Axel was assigned to mentor Roxas. The new Organization member was completely different from the rest of the Organization members in the way that he lacked memories and acted like a complete blank. Axel could only act like a babysitter to the zombie nobody. During the year, a new member, Xion was introduced. She was just like Roxas in that she was a complete blank and lacked any memories of her other half's life. This brought the three together. The two eventually began acting a lot like the other members and they enjoyed eating ice cream and watching the sunsets together.

However, things soon changed. Xion fought a strange boy. He was dressed in the same black, hooded coat as Organization XIII, they fought. He called her and her keyblade a sham and that she needed to find a new crowd. Xion couldn't bring herself to leave the Organization, especially not for her best friends, Roxas and Axel, but she began to doubt herself.

Things went from bad to worst. Xion began to have memories, which she thought were hers, but in truth they weren't. The friendship between the three became stained. Roxas felt that Axel was keeping something from him and Xion was avoiding him. In the end, Roxas left the Organization and Axel and he was forced to kill his last best friend, Xion. A man named DiZ, a mysterious girl known as Namine and the boy that fought Xion, Riku captured Roxas and made him forget his time in the Organization and implanted memories of a false existence as a normal kid.


	2. Chapter 2

**Now the story begins. Kingdom Hearts doesn't belong to me.**

**Chapter 1**

**~Now It Begins~**

Axel was called into the meeting place of the Organization, Where Nothing Gathers. Xaldin and Xemnas, the leader of the Organization called him into this place. "He hasn't crossed us," Axel declared.

"Why hasn't he come back if he hasn't betrayed us? Are you trying to protect him? Surely, you haven't forgotten your job as assassin; it's your job to annihilate anyone that goes against the Organization. If he doesn't come back than you'll pay his price," Xaldin said as his lance hovered beside him. And, he sent it hurling towards the Nobody.

Axel just crossed his arms and not so much as flinch. Xemnas placed a hand up and began to summon something. Axel's eyes turned towards the sphere, which the hooded superior had called. He sighed, "Fine I get it. I'll do it! I'll use the Dusk!"

**~The Sixth Day~**

Roxas had just woken up from a strange dream. The sixteen-year-old boy ran outside to the alleyway to a fort known as the 'Usual Place'. There he saw his three friends: Olette, Hayner and Pence. He approached Hayner complaining about how he couldn't sleep last night, but his hand went straight through Hayner. The three kids turned and ran straight through him and a picture landed on the floor of the fort; only, Hayner, Pence and Olette no Roxas was in it. It was like everything he knew was just an illusion.

After that he decided to leave the 'Usual Place'. Instantly, four creatures in white surrounded him as they miraculously appeared out of nothing and than another portal opened, a man, Axel appeared. "Look at what it's come to, I've been given these icky orders to destroy you if you refuse to come back with me," Axel said to Roxas with a bit of a sigh.

"We're best friends, right?" Roxas asked slightly confused at what was happening to him and why this red-haired man kept showing up to him at the strangest times. What was he and why did he call him the 'Man Chosen by the Keyblade'? Roxas was just an ordinary kid living in an ordinary town nothing special, but then why did his friends and the photo just show he never existed? It didn't make any sense.

Axel suddenly realized what Roxas had said and he seemed ecstatic for some reason. "Wait, you really do remember?" he asked.

Roxas just replied a little bit confused, "Y-Yeah."

This only seemed to make the redhead even more overjoyed. He then asked a question, but Roxas couldn't answer and sighed. Roxas was now forced to fight this strange man. However, just as they were about to fight; time seemed to freeze Axel. "Roxas to the mansion," an elderly man's voice ordered.

Roxas stood there for a second taking a short glimpse of the redheaded man in the black coat and than at the strange weapon, the keyblade in his hands. "Hayner, Pence, Olette," he shouted before he headed off.

Meanwhile, time seemed to return to normal and the redhead found that he was alone again. Axel sighed as he realized that he couldn't avoid eliminating his best friend anymore. He followed after Roxas to the mansion. But, he was met by a hard problem. How was he going to get into this mansion, the mansion that Roxas was in? There was a barrier surrounding it keeping him out. So, Axel ordered the Dusks to charge the barrier hopefully one of them would get through the barrier and he was right.

Axel was now in the mansion to be more precise the basement. He was in a room, which was close by to where he heard something being smashed, probably a computer. Axel only attributed it to Roxas. The only thing he could do now was wait patiently till Roxas came to him. Then, things would get interesting.

Moments later, the door slid open and Roxas entered. Axel hid and sent some of the Dusks and Assassin Nobodies under his command. He watched as Roxas fought them when he finished the last he sent out. Axel decided to confront the boy. "Simply amazing Roxas," he said with his arms folded.

"Axel," Roxas gasped.

Axel turned to the boy with a slight sigh, but anger flared up and he surrounded them both with a circle of flames. "You really do remember me this time. I'm SO flattered! But, you're TOO late!"

In that instant something overcame Roxas, he suddenly pulled out two keyblades: one silver as light and the other as dark as night. He swirled them around before dropping them to his sides. Axel was awestruck by this. "Two," he gasped he never seen his friend handle two keyblades at one time. But, he couldn't bother with the details this time. He called forth two of his own chakrams from the fire and they battled.

There were several close calls in the last fight between the two friends. However, Axel was the weak one in this fight. Roxas seemed to falter for a second during the fight and Axel caught him, but Roxas reversed it and slashed Axel in the chest with his keyblades. Axel stumbled as he held his stomach apparently injured from the blow. The flames dispersed and everything returned to normal. Roxas stood motionless across from Axel.

**~Flashback~**

It was in the middle of a dark city, Roxas strolled through while Axel leaned back against a building. "You're mind's made up?" the redhead asked casually.

"Why did the keyblade choose me?" Roxas retorted irritably.

There was a moment of silence. "I have to know," Roxas added.

Axel instantly lost his cool. He was no longer leaning against the wall but standing back on his own two feet and mad. "You can't cross the Organization! You get on their bad side and they'll destroy-," Axel said but Roxas cut him off.

"No one will miss me," he replied as he walked off.

"That's not true! I would," Axel sighed as he watched his best friend and protégé disappear right in front of him.

**~End of Flashback~**

"Axel," Roxas said.

The redhead gazed up to his friend. "Let's meet again in the next life," he replied without thinking.

With that Roxas was instantly quiet but he answered, "I'll be waiting."

Axel chuckled a little at his friend's surprised expression, "Silly, just because you have a next life…" He was suddenly consumed by darkness and Roxas approached the spot where the redhead stood.

**~Later~**

Roxas entered a white room where a white pod stood. In front of the pod was a man cloaked in red. He taunted Roxas and Roxas sliced through him. However the man, DiZ just turned to him and mocked him saying that he couldn't do him any damage to him as it was just was only a projection of him. The data form of DiZ disappeared and Roxas was left in front of the white flower-like pod.

Roxas saw a boy with spiky brown hair and red clothing in the pod. He instantly recognized the boy from his dreams. The pod opened and Roxas said, "Sora, you're lucky. It looks like my summer vacation is over."

"Sora," two voices called out from out of nowhere. The boy woke up. He jumped out of the pod and in front of the owner of the two voices, Donald and Goofy. They were wondering how they got in this place and if they were really asleep. Sora noticed that he had gotten bigger, because his clothes no longer seemed to fit him. So, the three set out to do the only thing they knew what to do. And, that was to find the king and Riku.

**Elsewhere**

Axel squint his eyes as the sun flashed in his face. He placed a hand in front of his eyes and smelt the salty air of an ocean and heard the sounds of seagulls squawking overhead. Axel could only think of one thing to explain this: he was on a beach, but no ordinary beach to be exact; Destiny Islands. This was the place where according to the Organization the Keyblade Hero and his friend, Riku originated. He felt funny about being on the beach, because this was where he promised to take Roxas the next time they had a vacation. How ironic due to the fact that he planned to take Roxas to this place for their day off, it would have been a nostalgic experience for the young Keyblade Hero's nobody.

To make matters more complicated, today was Roxas' 365th day of existence, which meant that Roxas was a year old now. All this time that Roxas had existed he had spent so much time alone in his own world trying to figure out the reason for why he existed. Axel felt guilty for hiding Roxas' other's existence from him for so long. The only reason he did that was because he didn't want to lose his best friend. It was too late for that anyways.

Axel stood on the shore of the island: the one where Sora, Riku and Kairi would often play on as little kids. He saw a pink seashell in the sand and noticed that it was Thalassa shell, a native shell only found in this world. He picked it up with the sand intact. Axel let the sand trickle through his fingers as he held the seashell in his palm. "Roxas," he said as he pulled out a Popsicle stick with a crown and the word WINNER on it. "If I can change things to get you back; Roxas I will," Axel swore to himself.

He heard rustling in some bushes behind him. Axel decided to investigate. He pulled back the hedges and found a small cave. It looked too big for him to fit through, but he continued to hear something within the cave. Having nothing better to do, the redhead squeezed through the narrow entrance and found himself inside the cave.

The cave was must bigger than he expected. Axel was able to stand to his full height without his head hitting the ceiling of the cave. There were several chalk drawings on the charcoal-colored walls of the cave. Axel figured this could only be done by Sora and his friends due to the pictures of the children he saw on the cave's walls and the fact that Sora, Riku and Kairi's signature were on it. One thing really ticked him off about one of the drawing. It read, "Sora, Riku, Kairi, friends forever!"

Axel scoffed at the drawing, "Hmph, if you hadn't returned to being a human than Roxas wouldn't have to disappear and I wouldn't have lost my best friend. I wish you were still a Heartless!"

The rustling from before came behind Axel and the redhead spun around to see what or who it was. There was no one there. Axel sighed, "I guess my imagination is getting to me."

"Gee you think so," a voice replied.

Axel watched as a boy in a black coat stood before him. He carried two keys in his hands: one as silver as light and the other as dark as night. "Roxas," Axel asked.

The boy turned to him with a slight smile, but than just turned around and disappeared through the old wooden door in the cave. "Roxas wait," Axel shouted.

The redhead knelt to his knees. He didn't know what was going on or how he had just seen his best friend, but it only seemed to trigger his hatred for Sora. Axel pounded his fist onto one of the chalk drawings of the trio, particularly on the image of a little Sora who stood happily holding hands with Riku on his left and Kairi on his right. "I promise you Roxas, I'll always bring you back," Axel declared and just as he did a white door appeared in front of him.

Axel stared at the door suspiciously. He got to his feet and quietly approached it. The redhead opened the door and heard the voices of the Keyblade Hero and his goofy sidekicks and without further thinking, the Flurry of Dancing Flames entered the place and the door shut behind him.

Axel exited the white door. It seemed to disappear right after he left it into thin air. He was now in a strange place, a world without color or rather a cartoon from the late 1920s. "What the heck," he asked himself, but his attention was soon drawn to the sleek charcoal-colored river nearby. He glanced at his reflection and was taken aback by what he saw.

"Is this really me?" he asked.

His eyes were like two large circles with a slice taken out of them, his usual scrawny body looked like a toothpick and his spiky hair looked like someone had drawn it badly or something.

"_The sooner I find Roxas, the sooner I can leave this place_," Axel thought.

Axel soon saw four figures out in the distance; it was that keybrat, Sora, his goofy sidekicks and that witch, Maleficent's useless lackey, Pete.

"_What the heck are they doing here_?" Axel thought but soon decided to hide in a Corridor of Darkness as the four approached his location.

The trio somehow managed to lose Pete and was now resting. "I can't believe we lost him," Sora complained as he fell on his butt on the ground beneath him.

"We'll catch him Sora," Donald Duck replied.

"Yeah I know, but we have to hurry. Disney Castle is at risk if we don't hurry and if Pete makes off with the Cornerstone of Light than Maleficent will fill the castle with darkness. And, we can't do that! Merlin and Queen Minnie are counting on us," Sora sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I could still be a normal kid and didn't have all these problems to worry about!"

"Aw Sora," Donald said.

Goofy spotted Pete on a boat and on the back of it was the Cornerstone of Light. "Sora, there he is," Goofy announced frantically. "Pete's making off with the Cornerstone of Light!"

"What," Sora exclaimed as he bolted back onto his feet and rushed with his dopey sidekicks to go after Pete.

Axel was now able to escape the darkness that he hid in once the trio left the spot he was in. "So you wanted to 'save' me?" a voice asked.

Axel turned around and saw Roxas. "Yes I do, Roxas. I'll do whatever I can to bring you back! Got it memorized?" Axel declared.

"Hmph, so you're going to drag me back kicking and screaming into that miserable existence; back into that miserable Organization? Don't you know Axel? We maybe friends, but I won't serve someone as repulsive as Xemnas. Don't you still get it that he's lied to all of us!

He only wants Kingdom Hearts for himself," Roxas admitted.

"Roxas, I don't care if that's true! I'm NOT doing this for the Organization's sake. I just want to see you again! You're the only one I liked," Axel confessed.

"Is that so," Roxas chuckled. "Then, why did you lie to me? Why did you lie to me about my other self and everything that went on at Castle Oblivion? Why Axel? Friends don't lie to each other! We're you only thinking about your reputation?"

Axel could sense the despair in his friend's voice. Yes, it was true that he had lied to Roxas the whole time that they were both in the Organization together. Yes, he had done it to protect his reputation as the fearless assassin of the Thirteen Order. However, there was a deeper meaning to why he had lied to his best friend. And, that reason was, because he wanted to protect him from going back to Sora.

"Roxas, I'm sorry that I lied to you. I wanted to protect you. I wanted to keep you at my side. You were the only person I could confide in. And, I haven't been able to do that in years," Axel admitted.

Roxas scoffed, "If I were so special then…why did you try to kill me?" Axel began to see that Roxas' body was beginning to fade.

"Roxas," he called out, but the hooded boy ignored him. "Roxas," he cried but only to see that the boy's ghostly image had completely dissolved into nothingness. Axel fell to his knees and began to sob, "Roxas, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I lied to you. I wish I had another chance to get you back!"

As Axel pounded the ground again, the same white door from before appeared. The pyromaniac stared at the door in confusion, but he hesitantly entered through it. "Roxas, we're friends no matter what you think!"

As Axel wondered through the long annals of the seemingly endless tunnel that he had found after he accessed the door, he found himself glancing at many memories. One of the most peculiar was the memory of him, Roxas, and some strange girl sitting on a beach. All three of them stared endlessly at the endless body of turquoise water that was the ocean and the fading sun as it set behind the blanket of water almost like a toddler about to sleep. The memory soon continued but a voice, Saix's voice could be heard now. It said, "_Which would you suffer from the lost of a fake friendship or a real one_?"

Axel soon found himself at the end of the tunnel just right in front of the light that served as the exit to the tunnel. He took one last look back and saw Roxas standing there. The boy spoke to him, "If you truly care about me than just forget about me. I was never meant to exist!"

"You're wrong, Roxas," Axel replied to the boy as he nodded and disappeared. The redhead stepped through the tunnel and found himself engulfed in the radiant light.

"No way, this can't be…!" Axel exclaimed as he recognized the place he was in. His home world or rather his other half's home world, Radiant Gardens, it was just as clean and prosperous before the time Axel and Saix's human halves had been swallowed up by the darkness that engulfed their home world and their rebirth as Nobodies. It was all so nostalgic.

Axel decided to do something. He flicked his fingers in a manner to call a Corridor of Darkness, but the egg-shaped portal of purple and black vortex wouldn't appear. The pyromaniac tried again and again, but always with the same useless and disappointing outcome; no Corridor of Darkness. He was stranded in this past replica of his home world and Axel wasn't all that looking forward to going back to the World That Never Was to face the consequences that awaited him there. So, he decided to do a little reconnaissance to see if this world was really Radiant Gardens and to see for himself that he had somehow time-traveled.

Axel finished his investigation of 'Radiant Gardens'. The only conclusion he had was that this was really his home world before the Heartless invaded and Maleficent had cast this world into darkness. The only thing that was left to convince the Flurry of Dancing Flames was seeing his past self. That would ultimately convince him that he was in the past. Until then, he decided to wait in front of the gates that lead up to King Ansem the Wise's castle near the fountain, the place where he and Isa, Saix's human half would always play.

Axel leaned up against the gate that lead up to the castle. Two boys, one with spiked blue hair with some hanging loosely beneath the spikes and wearing a navy-blue sweater with a crescent moon crest, khakis and black formal shoes passed him by along with another boy. Axel noticed the other boy; he looked very much like him, except that he wore a yellow scarf around his neck, an orange vest, white and red tennis shoes and a pair of beige jeans. He couldn't believe his eyes, but at the same moment he couldn't disrupt time. So, he decided to let the scene play out.

He heard the boys talk with someone. This someone's voice seemed very familiar almost like Roxas'. However, he couldn't get any clear image of the boy that his other, Lea and Isa were speaking with, because Lea's pointed red-orange spikes shrouded the boy's face. Axel sweat dropped, "_Why is my hair always getting in the way_?"

"After all, we're friends now. Got it memorized?"

"Yeah, I got it memorized, Lea."

The three boys soon departed. "What is with you and picking up stray puppies?" Isa asked.

"I want everyone to remember me," Lea answered.

"Well, I won't forget you. Believe me I've tried," Isa smirked.

"See I'm immortal," Lea chuckled.

"You're cocky," Isa replied as he looked up to King Ansem's castle. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Lea nodded and the two boys headed pass Axel through the gate and up the stairs to the castle.

Axel sighed, "Since, I'm in the past I might as well pay a visit to Destiny Islands." He called a corridor, which came luckily this time. Axel entered through it to the peaceful tropical paradise that was Destiny Islands.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Axel or Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 2**

**~Kidnapped~**

The tropical island was just as Axel had left it; peaceful with its endless blue skies, ocean and the fading, glorifying golden-red sunsets. "_You see Roxas, light is made up of many colors and out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest_," the redhead remembered as he told Roxas when they were sitting on the clock tower in the Station Plaza of Twilight Town eating ice cream like they had always done. Looking at the sunset made Axel sigh, but he couldn't be bothered with such memories or 'feelings', because what was there to feel for someone that didn't have a heart?

Axel noticed two boys zoom pass him. One was dressed in yellow and had silver hair and the other, much slower boy was dressed in a white t-shirt with blue on the trim, red shorts, yellow sandals and he had brown fluffy hair. "Hey Riku, wait up! Don't leave me behind," the brunette cried as he stopped to take a breather.

"Giving up already I thought you were stronger than that Sora," the silver-haired boy said as he stood in front of the boy.

"No fair Riku," the brunette, Sora whined. "You always win!"

"You just have to try harder," Riku taunted.

"Don't worry I will," Sora smirked.

"Riku, Sora; we'll be heading back to the mainland shortly. So, hurry up okay," a man shouted from the pier.

"Okay dad," Sora yelled.

"Alright Mr. Sora's dad," Riku called back.

"How about one more race," Riku smirked.

"Ah, but can't we do sword-fighting," Sora whined.

"Hey Sora, you wanted to race last time and I beat you. This time I'll let you win, promise," Riku smiled.

"Okay," Sora said with a slight grin. "But no cheating, pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear," Riku nodded and the two little boys crossed their pinky fingers together.

***Later***

Axel observed the two boys racing; once again Riku was still in the lead. The pyromaniac had a sudden idea and one that would get Roxas back. "Hey no fair Riku, you said you would let me win this time," Sora whined as he took another breather.

Riku chuckled and kept running this time, "Better luck next time Sora."

"Hey kid," Axel said to Sora.

The four-year-old cocked his head towards the redhead's direction. "Hey sir, are you lost or something? You don't look like you're from here. I will get my dad and he will…" Sora answered as he turned his head to the pier.

"No kid, you don't understand. I'm looking for somebody. And, you're the only one that can help. You see my friend, he looks just like you," Axel said as he placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. The two began to be swallowed up by darkness.

"Ah, what are you doing? Let me go, mister!" the four-year-old screamed.

Axel ignored the boy's panicked cries and futile struggles. The two were finally dispersed into darkness and they arrived back at Radiant Gardens. However, this time they were in front of King Ansem's castle. Axel looked around for any sign of the guards. "Good no guards around," Axel said.

"Hey let me go," Sora shrieked.

Axel granted the boy's request and threw the boy. Sora stumbled clumsily and fell on his butt at the castle's large wooden doors. He heard Isa and Lea's voices and they were quickly approaching their location. "Take me back home," Sora wailed.

Axel replied, "They'll find you here." And with that he disappeared into darkness. He appeared back in the 'Secret Place' or Riku and Sora's hideout. There he found the white door that had brought him back to the past. He heard Riku shouting outside the cave, "Hey Sora!"

"Are you sure he would be there," a man, Sora's dad asked.

"Positive Mr. Sora's dad," Riku nodded. "We have searched the entire island for Sora. He would be here. This is our hideout."

Axel opened the door and went back in time. Riku came inside the cave with Sora's dad. The adult brunette glared at Riku. "Well Riku, where's my son?" Sora's dad demanded.

"I heard something in here. Honest, Mr. Sora's dad! I would never lie about Sora," Riku protested.

"We'll see about that, won't we? I'm going to tell your parents once we get back to the mainland," Sora's dad said as he dragged the protesting boy out of the cave and onto the boat.

Riku looked back to the cave, "Sora, please come back!"

Axel managed to find his way back to Timeless River. Everything was still as bland and dull as it had been; he was still in his ridiculous retro form. "_Ah, looks like nothing's changed_," Axel thought.

"Hey Sora, we have to stop Pete," Donald squawked.

"Yeah I know, Donald. But, I just feel weird for some strange reason," Sora answered as his voice began to change to what Axel could recognize as Roxas' and he fell to his knees and held his head with both his hands and eyes squinting. Sora's mouth tightened as if he was in some extreme agony.

"Sora, are you okay?" Donald asked.

Sora didn't answer. He fell on his stomach and fainted. "Sora," both Donald and Goofy gasped.

"We have to get him back to the Time Door," Donald said.

"Yes, maybe the Queen and Merlin would be able to help Sora," Goofy agreed.

"No don't guys! I'll be fine. After all, we have to stop Pete," Sora said weakly as he regained consciousness.

"Look at you Sora, you can't die on us! We'll get Pete later. You're more important," Donald quacked.

"Thanks guys, but I'll be fine," Sora said as he got back onto his feet but again he fell to his knees.

"S-Sora," both Donald and Goofy gasped as they saw fragments of light scatter about Sora. "W-what's happening to you, Sora?"

"I-I don't know, but we have to stop Pete," Sora groaned.

This time Sora fell to the ground. Goofy attempted to catch the keyblader but he was too late. Sora dispersed into fragments of light and they ascended up into the light gray sky. "Sora," Donald and Goofy cried.

"We'll stop Pete and find a way to get you back Sora," the duo nodded as they proceeded towards the pier where Pete was waiting for them with the Cornerstone of Light on a separate boat attached to the main steamboat.

Axel sighed, "Figures." He turned to the Time Door and exited Timeless River.

**Present**

Axel felt something swelling in his chest, the place where his heart was meant to be. Feeling after feeling swelled up in his chest and the most dominate of the feelings was guilt. Axel didn't know what to make of this sudden reoccurrence of emotion. He hadn't been able to feel anything until after Roxas left the Organization. Axel was brought back to Disney Castle. He exited the door and met a gruesome sight. Disney Castle was in ruins.

He heard two voices and the sound of metal clashing against each other. "Nobody interferes with the Organization," a boy yelled.

"I won't let you get away with this for seeking those Heartless on Goofy and Donald," King Mickey returned.

"Ha, you're still bothered by those two fools' demises," the boy scoffed.

The hooded boy, Roxas gained the advantage and threw the king against the wall of the throne room. Roxas approached the king and claimed Star Seeker or King Mickey's keyblade as his own. King Mickey's body vanished into fragments of light just as Sora's body had back in Timeless River.

"Roxas," Axel said as he witnessed the whole fight and the King's Death. He walked in front of the remnant of wall that had been left over from the throne room during the years that Disney Town and the castle were afflicted by the darkness and the Heartless.

"Axel," Roxas gasped and ran up to the redhead. "Is that really you, Ax?" the hooded boy asked as he removed his hood.

Axel's eyes widened. Roxas stared at his friend and mentor confused, "Axel, why do you look like you've seen a ghost? I guess that last mission in Halloweentown got you stirred up, right? Ha, don't worry about it, ice cream's on me this time." Roxas opened a Corridor of Darkness and guided Axel through it as if he was a little kid.

The two males sat on the Clock Tower. Axel had to contemplate the whole situation. It was his entire fault why Sora and the King had vanished and why Disney Castle was destroyed. Roxas sat down beside Axel and handed him a Sea-Salt ice cream. "Man, it's been nearly a decade since I've been in the Organization. Gee ten years sure goes by fast, huh, Ax?" Roxas said.

"I gotta go, Roxas," Axel said as he dropped the Sea-Salt Ice Cream.

Roxas watched as the light blue frozen syrup attached to the wooden stick drop from the tower to the golden sidewalk beneath them. The blonde-haired teen turned back to Axel. He had seen Axel get disgusted with the ice cream before due to its weird salty taste. But, this was different. Axel loved Sea-Salt Ice Cream and wouldn't dare waste a perfect Popsicle like that. Something was probably bothering Axe.

"Axel," Roxas said as he got up. "Wait." He called to the redhead.

However, Axel left before Roxas could even give him a reply. Roxas opened up a Dark Corridor for himself and followed Axel through it. He needed to find out what was eating Axel.

**The World That Never Was**

Roxas chased Axel back to the World That Never Was, specifically the Castle That Never Was. The redhead couldn't figure out why he wasn't able to call a portal to the World That Never Was back when he was in that strange replica of Radiant Gardens, but how he was suddenly able to call it now due to his wanting to escape his guilt. "Axel," Roxas said as he managed to catch up to the redhead.

Axel didn't avoid Roxas this time. He wanted to get answers and Roxas would surely know. So, he asked the Key of Destiny, "What's going on? Everything is the same as when I fled from the Organization. And Roxas since when have you been in the Organization, especially for a decade? What's up with this?"

"Axel, are you okay?" Roxas replied as he looked at him weirdly.

A Dusk slithered up towards Roxas. It bent towards to where it was near Roxas' ear. It whispered and left. Roxas glanced up to Axel. "We have a meeting in the Round Room, Ax? Are you coming?"

"Oh yes, I'm coming," Axel said as he stood next to Roxas' side and the two Nobodies departed through the corridor to the World That Never Was.

**Outside of Where Nothing Gathers**

Everything was exactly the way it had been when Axel left the castle. Everything was the same as Roxas lead Axel down the long, never-ending, silver hallways of the castle towards a large white door. The White Door read, "Where Nothing Gathers".

"Axel, are you okay?" Roxas asked as he snapped the redhead out of his thoughts.

"Huh," Axel said as he then made eye-contact with those heavy, concerned aqua-blue eyes of Roxas'. "Why do you ask, Rox?"

"I'm just wondering why you've been acting weird lately, Axel. You're starting to freak me out," Roxas replied.

Axel smirked back at Roxas. He had to fool his friend that he was alright and not to worry him. "Since, when can you get freaked out, Roxas? Haven't you gotten it memorized yet that we can't feel?"

"Yeah, I got it memorized, Axel," Roxas replied with a chuckle.

"Roxas, did you want to see me?" a familiar, monotone voice asked as it interrupted the two's conversation.

Axel and Roxas turned around to where they could answer the owner of the voice. "Saix," the blonde nobody said as he came up to the blue-haired nobody's side.

"What's wrong, Roxas?_" _Saix asked.

"Axel has been acting strange for some reason, a lot more than he usually does. Can you knock some sense into my big brother? I've been trying my best to get some answers," Roxas admitted.

"Indeed, I'll try my best," Saix said with a wink towards the blonde-haired Nobody and gestured for Axel to follow him.

Axel soon left. He couldn't believe the worlds he had changed due to his time-travel, the King's death and even Saix's sarcasm. Oh wait, Saix's sarcasm was still normal. He didn't care if there was a meeting. He tried to go to his room, but, instead he was dragged to Saix's room. "Where are you taking me?" Axel demanded.

"To my room," Saix replied.

"Yeah, we need to figure out what's wrong with you, Axel-onii-sama," Roxas added.

Axel was confused by this. Why was Roxas calling him big brother? "What about the meeting?" Axel asked.

Saix glanced down at him, "Lord Xemnas has postponed it till this afternoon," Saix replied.

"Yeah, it's still ten in the morning, big brother Axel. This won't take too long," Roxas added.

Axel sweat-dropped with embarrassment as Roxas kept calling him big brother, this time-frame would take some getting used to.

As the three were about to go inside, Saix glanced down at Roxas. "Don't you have some chores to do, Roxas?"

"What chores," Roxas replied innocently and acted as if he were trying to make Saix forget his punishment.

Saix gave the teen a scowl. "Don't you remember the prank you pulled on Demyx and Larxene? How Larxene reacted when she found out that all of her clothes had been discarded, including her robe? And, the only thing she had to wear was a bikini?"

"Saix, stop please," Roxas said with his eyes apparently widening and sweat dripping profusely from his forehead.

"And, may I remind you of the note that you left behind saying that Demyx was responsible? Let's not forget that Number X had to puke everywhere and ruin the Superior's private bathroom, because it was the only bathroom available due to your shenanigans, which ruined all of the bathrooms. And, don't forget about Demyx being the only one to see Larxene in a bikini," Saix finished.

"Alright, I get it. I'll go clean the boss' private bath. But-"Roxas said.

Saix scowled at him, which made the blonde yelp like a frightened puppy in trouble. He ran off to the Janitor's Closet of In-Between where the mops, floor cleaners, and all the other cleaning supplies were.

Axel, on the other hand sweat-dropped at the story, especially with the scene of Larxene in a bikini and he didn't want to interrupt the story. It would probably give him more nightmares than anything before. So, as hard as it was, Axel ignored the conversation. Saix smirked at Axel's expression at first, but then replaced it with his usual 'I'm surrounded by idiots' expression. And, he led the pyromaniac into his room.

**Number VII's room**

"Axel, why are you worrying Roxas?" Saix asked.

Axel glared at Saix. "Why are you pretending to be a nice guy, Saix?" Axel demanded.

"Axel, don't you remember the promise we made to him?" Saix asked.

"What are you talking about? What prom-"

**Flashback**

**Eleven years ago**

**Radiant Gardens**

"I'm telling you Isa. We'll get into this castle, one way or another," Lea said.

"I don't know, Lea. I have an uneasy feeling about today," Isa replied.

"Oh, stop being so paranoid, Isa," Lea smirked.

The two teenage boys reached the last step and crying began to occur. "Lea, don't you hear that? I hear a child's crying," Isa said.

"You're delusional Isa! We're not turning back just because you're chickening out on me," Lea exclaimed.

The sound of weeping got louder. Isa and Lea stopped once they reached the large doors of the castle. They saw a small four-year-old, brown-haired boy against one of the walls. He wore a white t-shirt with blue trims, red shorts and yellow sandals. "Why did he leave me here? I wanna go home! I wanna see Riku!"

"We should help him, Lea," Isa said as he attempted to approach the small boy, but Lea kept him back by holding onto the rim of his navy blue jacket..

"No, we shouldn't, Isa! Do you want to get into the castle?" Lea asked.

"There is always another time for that, Lea," Isa answered as he snatched away the fabric from Lea's hands and approached the small boy.

"_Oh boy, I have a bad feeling that this brat is going to prevent us from getting into the castle today_," Lea thought.

Lea ran in front of Isa to the four-year-old, "Hey kid, can you knock off that whining?"

The kid stopped for a second to inspect whoever was talking to him. He froze once he saw the redhead teen staring or whether glaring at him. The kid began screaming again, "Take me back to my islands, you big meanie!"

Lea went closer to the kid, but his screaming got louder and louder until tears broke out. "Hey kid, can you keep it down or those guards will catch us."

"I don't care! I just wanna go home! I wanna go back to my islands! I miss mommy, daddy and Riku," the little boy whimpered.

Lea sighed. Isa pushed Lea to the side as he approached the little boy and picked him up. Sora relaxed in the teenager's grasp and slowly began to close his eyes as he sucked his thumb. Lea was astounded, "Hey Isa, how'd you get that brat to shut up?"

Isa whispered, "It's easy for somebody like me that's used to taking care of their six younger brothers. Unlike a mister scary somebody," he smirked.

"Hey, that's not funny, Isa," Lea exclaimed as his voice got loud for an instant.

Isa shot him a cold glare, "Don't wake him, Lea! Do you want him screaming again?"

"No, but how did this brat get here in the first place? I've never seen him here before," Lea asked.

Isa shrugged, "I don't know Lea, but whatever happens, we're going to have to find out later before those guards, Aeleus and Dilan show up. We don't want them to find us and scare this kid even more."

"Are you CRAZY?" Lea exclaimed as his voice began to get louder again.

Isa sighed and gave him another glare as Sora began to stir in the blue-haired teenager's arms, "Yes, I'm serious, Lea."

"Great," Lea said as the two teenagers and the little boy left the castle to head back to Lea's house.

**Lea's House**

Lea and Isa approached a red cottage, which sat on the outskirts of the small town of Radiant Gardens. It was near night time and there were no lights on. "Remind me again, why we came back to my house?" Lea demanded.

Isa replied, "Because, your house is the only quiet one and I can't take him to my house due to all the noise my little brothers; Ephraim, Benjamin, Tanner, Kanon, Shawn and Max and don't forget they aren't friendly to kids smaller than them."

"Great," Lea exclaimed. He started fumbling through his pants pockets for his house keys. Lea pulled them out as they entered the red cottage.

Lea placed the four-year-old onto a red couch, which greatly resembled a fire. The small boy began to stir and he opened his blue irises. Sora saw the redhead staring at him and he began to shriek, "Get away from me, you big meanie!"

Sora kicked Lea in the nuts causing the teenager to fumble over backwards. Isa smirked, "Serves you right for scaring the poor kid!"

"Oh thanks, Isa! Why don't you talk some sense into that pipsqueak? Or, better yet, why don't you get your parents to adopt this little brat? I'm sure your little savage siblings could use a playmate."

"I have a name, big meanie. It's Sora," the little boy said as he peeked over Isa, who was standing in front of the redhead that was still on the floor due to the pain of being kicked in the dick.

"Great, now Sora, can you tell us why you keep beating me up and how'd you get here?" Lea demanded as he was still crouched on the floor still suffering from the amount of pain the small boy caused him.

Sora sighed as he tried to remember the events of what happened. "He looked like you and brought me here through a strange hole. Riku was screaming for me." He began to cry.

"We'll find some way to get you home, Sora," Isa said as he stroked the boy's hair.

"Promise," Sora replied with his pinky finger sticking out/

"Promise," Isa smirked as he wrapped his larger pinky finger around the small boy's.

"What about the big meanie over there? He better get me back home. Can you make him promise as well? It's his fault why I'm here!" Sora said as he glared at the redhead, who managed to get over his pain.

Lea approached the boy. He wanted to strangle the small brat due to his smart-aleck attitude. However, Isa held him back. "Lea, you won't hurt him!" Isa said as he glanced towards the small boy.

Lea glared at the small boy, but Sora didn't stop from glaring at the redhead either. "I'm not responsible, kid for why you're here. But, if it will make you shut up, then I'll help you get back to wherever it is you came from."

"Thank you," Sora said as he began to cry a little more.

**End of Flashback**

"So, you're telling me that we promised to send Sora back home," Axel asked.

"Yes, but we weren't able to and your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Amagi ended up adopting Sora, don't you remember? You should since that same day Sora became your little brother," Saix said. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have missions to hand out."

Axel stopped Saix in his tracks, "What happened to Riku?"

With that, Saix ignored Axel and went back to his own work.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts**

**Chapter 3**

**~Shatter~**

Axel paced back and forth in his room. He glanced out of his window and saw that there were stars falling from the sky and sighed, "What's going on here? Did I really screw time up?"

He felt beating in his chest; the place where his heart had been. Thump, thump, thump, the beating continued and Axel was confused at how he had beating in his chest when he lacked a heart. Axel decided to ignore it and took a nap. Perhaps, that would clear things up. Although, he didn't want to sleep, because for two reasons, Saix and Roxas, the two most important people in his life and he didn't want to wake up to find this was all a dream. Well, he sort of did about he 'ruined' the worlds in stuff, but he didn't want to find out that Saix and Roxas weren't there. Sure, this reality was harsh, but it had Roxas and Saix, who acted like the Isa Axel remembered, instead of the cold, unapproachable, scarred nobody that Axel tried to remain close too.

It was hard for Axel to get to sleep. There were too many things on his mind, which bothered him. He decided to get up and take a walk through the castle. "Hey Axel," Roxas said as he ran up behind the redhead.

Axel glanced at the boy. He wasn't wearing his black coat, but rather black baggy pants, a pair of red and black sneakers and a black, sleeveless t-shirt with silver at the trim of it. The pyromaniac closed his nose as he noticed that Roxas had a bad stench coming from him and also that Roxas' hair was held back by a black bandana. He carried two, charcoal buckets with the Organization's insignia on it, which held green sludge mixed with water in each of the two buckets. "Roxas go take a bath," Axel complained. "You stink badly!"

Roxas sighed, "Yeah, I know. I will take a bath and change into my black coat. But, Axel, I want to remind you that the meeting is in one hour and thirty minutes. I'll see you there!"

Roxas departed from Axel. The pyromaniac continued to stroll around the castle. Dusks slithered by him. And, he made his way to the Gray Area. He watched as several stars continued to fall from the dark, bleak sky. A large heart-shaped moon hung overhead.

"Kingdom Hearts, it's growing massively," a voice said behind him.

Axel turned around to see Saix standing behind. The pyromaniac sweat-dropped at the man and wanted to chew him out, "What's the big deal, Saix," Axel demanded.

"I just wanted to remind you about the meeting. It's in a few minutes. Roxas is already there," Saix said as he called forth a dark corridor. He entered it. "I'll see you there, Lea!" Saix said before the portal closed with a slight smile.

Axel sighed. He opened a corridor of darkness and followed after Saix.

**Where Nothing Gathers**

Axel, Roxas and Saix were the first three to appear in their selective throne-like pillars. Then, five rays of darkness jolted from the marble floor to the seat of throne-pillars. It was Xigbar, Xemnas, Xaldin, Demyx, and Luxord. But, that wasn't the end of it, five more rays of darkness shot up the thrones. Appearing from the darkness were all the members from Castle Oblivion; Vexen, Larxene, Marluxia, Zexion and Lexaeus. Axel was stupefied. He thought for sure that those five had perished, but then again time seemed to drift by differently here. Axel just let it go, but he continued to glare silently at the pink-haired man and the blonde-haired girl with the two antennae. Then, Xemnas spoke, "Good tidings everyone, I have an order to hand out."

Everyone turned to face Xemnas, who had his hood up, which obscured his features. "I want everyone to stay within The World That Never Was, especially the castle," the Superior of In-Between ordered.

"What, why are we being restricted to this bleak world," Larxene whined.

"Don't you go quarreling with the leader," Vexen growled, but he soon shrunk back in his throne once the Savage Nymph gave him a cold death glare and threatened to shock him with one of her kunai knives.

"The superior's orders are sacred. No one shall leave the premises of the World That Never Was," Saix interrupted the two as he narrowed his golden-orange eyes at Larxene. "And, to threaten a fellow member will result in mandatory labor in the Cafeteria That Never Was." Larxene griped at this and that seemed to shut her up for the moment.

"You mean, we can't leave this cruddy world because of some psycho Heartless going on a killing rampage," Demyx sighed.

Some of the members wanted to rip the mullet-haired Nobody to shreds, but Xemnas said something which sparked everyone's attention, "Yes, the Heartless known as Ansem draws near and his ferocity knows no bounds. For everyone's safety, all missions are canceled till prior notice and anybody that disobeys these orders shall be punished. Meeting adjourned."

**Gray Area**

"What do you suppose we do about him?" Zexion asked.

"Isn't it simple? We just kill the half-Nobody. I mean, I don't get why Xemnas treasures him so much," Larxene griped.

"It's his fault why we're in this mess in the first place," Marluxia said as he took a rose to his nose and sniffed it.

"We can't kill him! Xemnas will turn us into Dusks if we hurt him," Vexen whimpered.

"Huh, why do you worship the ground that the old guy walks on? After all, if he didn't have that keyblade of his we wouldn't be in this fix," Larxene said.

Axel heard their discussion. He headed into the lobby room which was dubbed the Gray Area. "You're not going to kill Roxas!" Axel roared as he approached the four Nobodies

"Oh, how typical of you eavesdropping on our conversation," Larxene sneered. "What's wrong you wanna protect your baby brother?"

"Larxene," Axel began as flames began to encircle his hands. "If you touch Roxas, I'll scorch to the point where nothing remains of you, not even your bones!"

"Oh, I'm scared," Larxene sneered as she mocked a frightened, little girl shaking in her boots.

"Axel, forgive Larxene's rudeness, but we're only thinking about the Organization," Marluxia interrupted as he stood between the two Nobodies.

Axel turned his hatred towards Marluxia. Marluxia just ignored it, "Why do you want to kill Roxas so much? It's not his fault he can wield the Keyblade. I mean, Marly you're the last person I'd expect that would 'think' of the Organization or Roxas. You'd would rather cross every-"

Axel was cut off by Marluxia as he explained, "I don't care about Xemnas, but I do care about the Organization. I mean, if Xemnas had done something earlier about the 'Ansem' Heartless than we wouldn't have this problem. That's why we're planning on destroying Roxas, not because we don't think of him as a comrade, but rather his keyblade keeps terminating Heartless, which causes Kingdom Hearts to grow massively and in turn 'Ansem' draws his power from."

"Huh," Axel said. "Who's Ansem?"

"I still can't believe he doesn't know," Larxene griped as she got up from the couch and headed out of the Gray Area along with the five other Nobodies. Finally, Axel was left alone in the bleak Gray Area.

**Meanwhile**

Roxas stood outside a gray door which had the roman numerals, VIII and the title, 'Flurry of Dancing Flames' on it, he held two wrapped-up popsicles in his hand and he continued to knock.

Saix walked by, "Roxas, what is it?"

The blonde-haired teenager turned to the blue-haired man and asked, "Axel isn't in his room, and do you know where he is? I want to go to Memory Skyscraper with him to eat Sea-salt ice cream with him since we can't go to Twilight Town anymore."

"Ah Roxas," Saix sighed. "I haven't seen him, but I can understand your predicament. You two are close."

"I guess," Roxas pouted. "He's changed a lot and I feel like he's a different person." The Key of Destiny chuckled, "Hmph, feel, I don't feel a thing! I just wish things could stay the same!"

"Roxas," Saix sighed.

"I just don't want to lose him; I've already lost enough people in my life. My memories hurt," Roxas cried as he hugged the blue-haired Nobody.

Axel was finally able to get to sleep, especially with the discussion he heard and later interrupted with his four colleagues: Zexion, Marluxia, Vexen, and Larxene and he hoped to Kingdom Hearts that they wouldn't hurt had the strangest dream or rather vision, if one deciphered it like that as it was so surreal to the Nobody. Anyways it went something like this…

**Axel's dream**

The Flurry of Dancing Flames was back where he had started on the island paradise that all the children from the mainland seemed to come to, especially during the summer months. Axel stood in the sand holding a Popsicle stick with the word WINNER and a crown inscribed into it. "Roxas," he whispered.

"Hey wait up, Riku," a loud familiar voice called after a silver-haired boy in yellow that had just ran pass the redhead.

Axel turned and saw Sora. He was just as the last time he kidnapped him; small and playful. The four-year-old stopped once he saw Axel. Both of them stared at each other and than a dark corridor appeared behind the boy with a hand that snatched him. Sora cried out to the Flurry of Dancing Flames as he reached out a hand to him, "Big brother, save me!"

The portal vanished and Axel heard a boy's voice, "Sora, Sora, where are you?"

Axel saw a five-year-old Riku and a tall, thin man with brown hair which greatly resembled the fourteen-year-old Sora that he had met in Castle Oblivion walk in front of him. Both of them looked around, oblivious to the fact that Axel was watching their every move. "I'm sure he was right here, Mr. Sora's dad," Riku exclaimed.

Sora's dad smacked the boy across the face and growled, "Don't lie to me, Riku-kun! You were the last one with my son. You did something to him! Tell me, what you'd did and where're you are hiding him?"

"I'm telling the truth, Mr. Sora's dad. I heard Sora crying here. I did nothing to him," Riku wailed as tears dripped from his eyes. He wanted Sora's father to believe him. And, he hated when grown-ups treated him like this, especially when they didn't believe him.

"I don't believe you," Sora's dad snarled as he grabbed the boy's hand and dragged to the pier.

Riku glanced to the spot where Axel stood. "Sora, please come home!"

**End of dream**

The sound of the kitchen bell woke Axel from his slumber. He jolted up from his bed as his red blanket fell to his ankles and he was still in his red-orange boxers. Axel got out of his bed with the blanket falling to the metallic, cold, gray floor and he approached the closet. He fumbled through the endless aisles of black coats and picked one out. Axel bent down into the closet and grabbed a pair of black socks and boots from the floor and rushed to the bathroom. He was finally changed and the kitchen bell rang for the fourth time.

Axel made his way to the Cafeteria That Never Was, but found that pretty much all the breakfast food; the pancakes, the waffles, muffins, etc were all taken. He went into the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal, but even the milk and cereal were all gone too. So, there wasn't much to eat. "Oh Axel, there you are. You'd had me worried," Roxas said as he ran up to Axel.

"You can have my pancakes and juice. I already ate," Roxas added with a smile as he handed the pyromaniac his stack of delicious, tan-brown pancakes draped in rich, dark-golden brown syrup and a box of orange juice to the side, which sat on a tray tempting the pyromaniac's hungry, growling stomach.

Axel held the tray and followed Roxas as they approached a table. A Dusk slithered towards the pancakes and juice hoping to steal it. Roxas summoned his Oathkeeper Keyblade and slashed the annoying husk, "No you don't!" He turned to Axel and asked the surprised Nobody, "Are you going to eat?"

Axel immediately sat down putting the tray in front of him with Roxas by his side. The Key of Destiny pulled out something from his coat pocket, but it wasn't small by any means. It was a kid's wooden toy sword. "Remember when you gave me this, big bro?" Roxas asked.

Axel at the moment didn't answer. He shoved a mouthful full of pancakes and syrup in his mouth as an attempt to not answer the blonde teenager. Roxas sighed and watched the Flurry of Dancing Flames finish his meal and he pulled the toy sword back into his coat pocket. "I'll tell you about it later," he said before calling a portal and vanishing with it.

"What's eating at him?" Axel asked as he wiped the syrup from his chin with a black napkin with the Organization's insignia on it.

"You really don't remember? Are you really that dense?" Saix answered as he walked up to a surprised redhead.

"That toy sword is what you gave him for his sixth birthday or to be more precise; when he was day before our world was consumed by darkness," Saix said.

"What are you talking about?" Axel demanded.

"You'll remember sooner or later," Saix commented before heading off.

After breakfast ended, Axel decided to go back to his room for a nap. "_Boy, with missions canceled, it's pretty gloomy around here_," the redhead thought as he exited the Cafeteria That Never Was which Xemnas dubbed since he lacked any originality.

Axel didn't bother to call a corridor to his room, because it had been or felt like awhile since he returned to the castle from his 'mission'. He wanted to reminisce about all the memories he had here or what were the distorted ones. Everyone seemed to find something to preoccupy their time. For example, Zexion was reading his lexicon in the Gray Area, while sitting on a couch. Lexaeus and Xaldin were wrestling in the Hall of Empty Melodies while Vexen was in his lab concocting mysterious experiments. Larxene was busy harassing Demyx outside the Bathroom That Never Was, which the Dusks managed to fix. However, Marluxia was hogging up one of the bathrooms that Larxene and Demyx were fighting at. Xigbar was spying on everyone from his post on top of the metallic pipes in Twilight's View; while Xemnas was probably still in the Round Room and that left Axel wondering what Saix and Roxas were up to.

Axel paid his respects to Proof of Existence or the resting place for the Organization. Saix was down there staring at a strange grave, which was marked by a keyblade with the Roman numeral XIII and the title Key of Destiny on it. "Isa, what are you doing down here," Axel demanded.

Saix turned to the redhead with a downtrodden look on his face. "Lea, do not call me that! I'm only his shadow, Saix," Saix whispered.

Axel smirked and slapped Saix on the back, "Gee no need to be such a downer!" Then the redhead's face turned sour. "Why are you down here anyways? Isn't the resting place for the members of the Organization that faded? But, nobody's died!"

Saix said, "Axel, Proof of Existence also serves another purpose."

"Yeah, and what would that be?" Axel asked sarcastically.

"I'm serious Lea," Saix said and the redhead's expression turned from humorous to serious.

"What purpose would that be?" Axel repeated. "Isn't a grave to remember our comrades that perished? I mean, there are no red lights on the graves. They are all blue, so why are you down here again? Nobody's died!"

"It's true that Proof of Existence serves as a cemetery for our fallen comrades, but yet as you can see they are blue, meaning that everybody's alive," Saix said.

"Yeah, and your point would be?" Axel interrupted with a look of boredom.

"My point Lea is this; Proof of Existence also contains the memories of our past selves. How we came to be, how we joined the Thirteenth Order, and even our Heartless' memories along with the feelings they carried. In other words, these graves provide crucial detail in experiencing the pain, thoughts and emotions that raced through our minds before we became Heartless," Saix explained.

"So, you're saying that I can relive those events," Axel asked.

"Yes, but it's risky in even touching them. Axel, are you listening to me? Axel-" Saix shouted.

The redhead attempted to touch Roxas' grave. He needed to understand this time frame and how whatever he did caused Sora to become a Heartless or why Saix wasn't as crazy as he had been. And, more so, what did Xemnas mean about that Heartless, which caused the Nobodies to remain confined in their little haven like trapped rats."

A pain surged through the Flurry of Dancing Flames. He fell onto his knees and then onto his chest. Saix picked him up and called a dark corridor to take him to the infirmary. "Axel, how could you be so foolish," Saix demanded, but got no response from the unconscious Nobody.

**Axel's dream**

Axel found himself in a dark prison or Soundless Prison, which was the lowest part of the Castle That Never Was. A boy sat in a prison sulking. Axel approached the prison to get a closer look at the crying boy. He had black hair and the boy brought a sense of nostalgia to the Flurry of Dancing Flames. "Hello," Axel said, but the boy kept crying into his knees.

A portal opened from the prison. "Ukrix, I'm back. Did ya miss me?" a cocky, upbeat boy's voice asked.

Lexi stood across from the boy. He wore a black coat like the one that the Organization wore. Lexi had black goggles on his head with a silver chain resembling the Organization's symbol of a cross-like shape dangling at the end of it and protruding orange spiky hair with locks of orange dangling in front of his round, pale face.

The boy held his head up, but Axel still couldn't make out the boy's features. The mysterious black-haired teen approached the bars of the cage. ""Lexi, where have you been? You had me worried sick," the boy+ growled.

"Gee, is that any way to treat a best friend," the proud voice, Lexi replied. "Besides, don't ya want to know what I found out about the man that stole your body and destroyed ya home?"

Ukrix glared at Lexi, Axel on the other hand couldn't see either of the boys' face, except for their hair and whispered, "Ansem."

Loud laughter erupted behind Axel. He turned around and so did the two boys, but they saw nothing. Suddenly, everything became dark with no light around not even glimmers of it. Everything shattered around him, including himself. He was back to being fifteen and in his home world; Radiant Gardens. Sora ran up to him and gave him a big hug then followed by Isa. "I really love the gift you gave me, big brother," Sora said with a big grin.

Six shadows appeared from behind the three boys. One grabbed Isa, another grabbed Axel and a third grabbed Sora. However, the shadow that grabbed Sora wasn't a shadow at all, but a man with dark skin and a white lab coat that matched his spiky hair. "This boy feels familiar," the man said as he carried Sora away from Isa and Axel.

"Lea," Sora screamed.

Axel bolted upright from his bed. "It's about time you woke up," a voice said.

The redhead's vision focused and he saw Roxas and Saix in his room. "W-why are you in my room?" he demanded.

"Gee, is that any way to treat a fellow comrade? We were only concerned about you. Plus, you need to thank Saix for taking you to your room after you fainted," Roxas said.

"Fainted, I fainted?" Axel asked.

"Duh," Roxas exclaimed.

"Now Roxas settle down, no need to be so hard on him," Saix said placing a hand on the younger nobody's shoulder.

"Sorry Saix," Roxas apologized.

"It's alright, Roxas," Saix replied.

"Are you feeling better, Lea?" Saix asked turning his attention to the fully awake redhead.

"Yeah, I'm alright! But, can somebody explain to me why I passed out?" Axel demanded.

"Simple, you touched it while I told you not too," Saix remised.

"You mean…Roxas' grave?" Axel asked.

Saix nodded, "I told you shouldn't have touched it, but you refused to listen. So, you fainted as a result of touching a tombstone, especially that of another comrade's. That is a big taboo in the Organization as it is an invasion of privacy, Lea. Got it memorized?" Saix mocked Axel's all time infamous catch phrase and pointed an index finger towards the crown of his forehead.

Axel glared at Saix.

Roxas interrupted, "Axel, you touched my tombstone? What did you see?"

Axel turned from Saix to Roxas. "Huh, what are you talking about, Rox?"

"Saix said that it's forbidden for another Nobody to touch another comrade's tombstone in Proof of Existence. What did you see?" Roxas answered. "I want to know! What did you see? Don't hide anything from me, Lea!"

"I saw two boys. I can't remember one of their names, but I remember hearing one name, Ukrix."

Saix's eyes widened at the mention of the name, while Roxas looked bewildered.

"And, he said 'Ansem', the same name that Xemnas mentioned at the meeting," Axel finished.

"Ansem," Roxas pondered before turning to Saix. "I've been wondering this for awhile, but who is Ansem anyways?" Axel wondered the same thing to and looked to Saix for answers like Roxas did.

"Simple, but it's a long story," Saix began. "You see, Ansem is the Superior's Heartless."

"Are you serious? So, the Superior's Heartless is causing all this havoc upon the worlds? Isn't there anybody that is trying to stop him?" Roxas demanded.

"Yes or there was somebody that tried to stop him," Saix admitted. "A boy from a far off world that lost his home world to the Heartless, he along with King Mickey's mage and guard teamed up to stop Ansem, to save the worlds, and to rescue the Seven Princesses of Hearts."

"King Mickey, the person I beat actually sent his messengers to help this boy. Man, I can't believe it," Roxas sighed. "I was only following the boss' orders. And, who are the Seven Princesses of Hearts?"

"Glad you asked," Saix said. "With every person there is light and darkness, except in the case of the Seven Princesses of Light. From the very beginning, they were chosen to keep the balance of light and darkness within the worlds, however unlike most people they were born without the slightest bit of darkness."

"I see, so what happened to the boy and King Mickey's henchmen?" Roxas asked.

"Ansem defeated them after he merged with the boy and the worlds as a result ended up in much worst turmoil than before," Saix finished. "However, that wasn't the last of the boy; his Nobody still remains with us in the form of a Nobody known as Ukrix."

"Now, I best be off. And, Axe try to remember and be cautious," Saix said before leaving the room.

"Ansem needs to be stopped," Roxas said as he was about to head out the door, but he was stopped by Axel.

"Roxas, are you thinking about going after Ansem?" Axel demanded.

Roxas turned around to him giving him a reassuring fake smile, "Don't worry Axel; I'll be okay, got it memorized?"

Axel got out of the bed and approached Roxas. "Roxas, I won't let you get killed! Don't go after him!"

"Axel, somebody has to stop him! I'm not going to sit by in this castle as that Heartless destroys everything in his path. I'm NOT a coward," Roxas exclaimed as he fled out of Axel's room.

"Roxas," Axel shouted. "Don't go!"

**FLASHBACK**

**LOCATION: Radiant Gardens**

**Ten years prior**

Christmas passed as did Sora's 'birthday' or the day Isa and Lea had discovered him at King Ansem the Wise's castle. Everyone watched as Sora hastily tore open all of his pile of presents. There was a box with red wrapping and a blue bow on it titled 'From Isa and Lea.' Sora glanced towards Lea and Isa. They were standing beside Lea's parents or Sora and Lea's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Amagi. "Go on, unwrap it little buddy," Mr. Amagi urged his son while his wife, Mrs. Amagi held a camera recording the event.

Sora glanced at Lea and Isa. The two urged him to open his present and without further hesitation, Sora ripped open his present. The red wrapping and blue bow fell underneath the box as the small six-year-old pulled out a wooden toy sword from the box. Sora nearly yelped with excitement. "I LOVE it!"

**Radiant Gardens Fountain Court**

Lea grunted as he watched the small six-year-old run in front of him and Isa and hugged them. It was annoying how he had been left in charge to babysit his little brother while his parents went out of town. "Why'd you have to get that for him? Don't you think he's a little old for toy swords," Lea grunted.

"Oh come on, Lea! Scrooge said it was the perfect gift for kids his age." Isa smirked, "Plus, now he doesn't have to watch on the sidelines as his big bro fights without him."

Lea got in Isa's face and growled, "He's only been living with us for two years and he's NOT my brother! So, quit teasing me, will you Isa?"

"Gee, no need to be all ready to snap my head off, Lea," Isa replied.

"One day, I'm gonna be a warrior just like Lea-onii-kun," Sora roared as he held his toy sword up towards the blue sky with a smirk.

Lea sighed while Isa chuckled, "He even has your charisma!"

"Oh shut up," Lea griped.

"Now Sora, don't venture to far," Isa reprimanded the small boy.

Sora chuckled and ran back to the two teens. They traveled through the colorful town. Six apprentices of Ansem the Wise passed by them. The new apprentice, Xehanort stopped. "What is it, Xehanort?" Braig asked.

Isa, Lea and Sora stopped glancing at the silver-haired, olive-skinned newbie apprentice of their king and tried to walk away. "That boy feels familiar," Xehanort said.

"Oh he does, should we take him back for research?" Braig asked.

"Yes, he could prove useful in finding out about my past," Xehanort answered.

Within an instant, Even grabbed a hold of the small boy. Lea brought out his Frisbees and attacked the blonde apprentice. "Nobody hurts my brother!" he growled.

Something hit him from behind and carried him off. It was the guard, Aeleus. "You puny brat, I've had enough of your antics," the fierce, curly-orange haired juggernaut of a guard roared.

"Lea," Sora screamed as did Isa as they noticed that the man's eyes weren't human, but rather demonic. They lacked any pupils and the blue in them was turned to eerie amber. An aura of darkness covered over him and a large stench caused the redhead to faint.

Isa attempted to fight back even though he didn't have a weapon or anything to fight back with. He used his fists to pound the heck out of Aeleus, but it didn't work. Dilan came up from behind him and grabbed him. Braig smirked as he went over to the trembling little boy and picked him. "These kids were such a pain. Now, let's take them back to the lab," Braig said and the six apprentices headed back to the lab with the three boys in hand.

The six apprentices made their way back to their castle via a secret entrance. They didn't want the chance to arise where their king and leader found them hauling three boys to feed to their test subjects. Heck, they still didn't even tell Ansem the Wise about the Heartless experiments they ran or even about the existence of the Heartless. So, it would've been pretty awkward. But, they figured he wouldn't discover their hideous, underground experiments as he had other things to maintain to such as maintaining his kingdom and the people within it and his little granddaughter, Kairi.

She wasn't actually his granddaughter biologically speaking and the two of them rarely got to interact. He was just chosen to take the place of king when Kairi's parents died in an awful accident. He was kind towards the six-year-old. She loved him and he loved her like a daughter. He hoped that one day his 'granddaughter' Kairi would take the throne.

Ansem the Wise had his worries about his apprentices when he noticed that they had started acting strange since the arrival of the newest apprentice. Xehanort showed up at their doorstep. Kairi was intimidated by the man when she first saw him. Ansem the Wise began to have his suspicions about his own apprentices. However, Ienzo would always sway the king's attention elsewhere as to not bust his fellow apprentices. The young seven-year-old was the closest thing that protected the apprentices' secret experiments.

They entered the dungeons beneath the castle and threw the three boys into the damp and dark jail. "I hope you guys _enjoy_ your meal," Braig mused.

"What are you talking about you, Cyclops?" Lea demanded. "You didn't give us anything to eat. You just threw us into this disgusting cell!"

Braig chuckled, "I wasn't talking to you, Flamsilocks. I meant our pets." He soon walked off.

"Pets, what are you talking about? Hey come back here, pirate-face!" Lea shouted.

"Uh Lea, what are those things?" Isa asked nervously.

Lea turned to see Sora was clinging to his toy sword. "Don't worry big bro, I will beat up these things; I'm a warrior!" Sora roared as he attempted to charge towards the huge horde of yellow eyes that stared at them hungrily from the end of the cell in the pitch-black darkness.

Lea stopped Sora by grabbing onto the boy's collar. Sora looked up at him innocently, "Why did you stop me, Lea-kun?"

"Sora, don't be stupid! That sword won't protect us from those things, whatever they are," Lea said as he glanced anxiously at the large, bug-like yellow eyes glancing at them from the end of the smelly dungeon.

"Yes Sora, I agree with Lea on this. We have to work together to get ourselves out of this situation," Isa added.

"Then, what do we do?" Sora demanded.

The heartless ran towards them and pounced on them. Their claws dug into the three boys' clothes, tearing each of the fabrics that made up the clothes apart. Bare skin was exposed to the cold heart-seeking claws. Sora yelped as he felt something pierce his chest. He saw a small circular, bright light emerge from his chest and looked towards Isa and Lea. Both of them lay motionlessly sprawled out like corpses under the strange beasts. Sora's eyes, no his whole body felt heavy and within an instant he collapsed like Lea and Isa did.

"**What's happening to me? Falling into darkness, is this how it ends?"**

A bright light shined upon the boy. He found himself in a forest right in front of a gate, which guarded a strange old mansion. "W-where am I?" the boy asked as he noticed the sudden change to his voice, which seemed much older and different than his high-pitch child's voice. He held his hands out in front of him they were lighter than what they were usually, not tan but near ivory. He glanced at himself in a nearby puddle and stuttered as he saw not a little kid staring at him, but a teenager with blonde hair, which seemed wind-swept. "No way, is that really me? Where am I? Where are Isa and L-?"

"You called?" a familiar yet older version voice of Lea's called.

The boy turned around and smiled wildly as he approached the redheaded man, who seemed to be an older version of Lea, except for the tear-drop tattoos under his emerald-green eyes. "Lea, you had me worried! Where's Isa?"

"I'm right here," a man who looked like an older version of Isa followed after Lea.

"Are you really Isa and Lea?" the boy asked.

The two nodded as they stared at each other wondering about the differences in their appearances. "Isa, how did you get that X-shaped scar?" Lea asked.

Isa shrugged, "I don't know, I think I got it from those things that attacked us back there."

"You mean, the Heartless?" a voice interrupted.

The three turned around and saw a man in a black coat approach them from out of a dark portal. "Who are you?" the three demanded.

The man held out his hand towards the three. "You three must be the three Nobodies of those that perished in the Heartless Invasion of Radiant Garden."

"Nobody, what's that suppose to mean?" the boy, Sora growled.

The man chuckled, "As I said, you lack the hearts that your others possessed."

The three placed their hands onto their chests, but found no beating nor pulse nor anything. "Is this some sort of joke?" Lea snarled.

"No joke, the lack of beating means that you have no hearts. In other words, you're just like me, a Nobody. However, I know of a way to reclaim what you've lost," the man said.

"Yeah, and what would that be?" Lea demanded.

"You must join me," the man answered.

"Join you, are you crazy?" Sora scoffed.

"Very well, but consider this, do you have anywhere else to go?" the man asked.

The three thought it over. It was true that they had nowhere to go and also in their new forms they were vulnerable if those Heartless attacked. So, they agreed. The man handed them each a black coat, shirt, pants, socks and boots. He changed their names from Lea, Sora, and Isa to Axel, Roxas and Saix.

**End of Flashback**

Roxas ran all the way down to Soundless Prison to where Ukrix was kept. "Are you Ukrix?" Roxas asked.

The raven-haired boy looked up from his knees with tears dripping down his face. His bluish-green eyes and pale skin shinned against the dark coat he wore and even his raven-black, short hair, which his bangs tried to cover. "Sora?" the boy, Ukrix asked.

Roxas nodded, "Yes, do I know you?"

Ukrix sobbed, "Sora, it's me, Riku, remember?"

Roxas shook his head, "I'm sorry I don't remember you. Do you know where I could find Ansem, Ukrix? I want to save the worlds and stop him. After all, that's what I want to do to protect my big brother."

"Big brother," Ukrix said. "And, why do you want to go after Ansem? He'll KILL you!"

"Look, do you know where I can find him or not? Saix mentioned you knew him since you're the Nobody of the person he took as a host. I want to save everybody, after all I want Axel, my big brother to acknowledge me," Roxas said.

"He's dangerous, but if you insist on going after him than be careful, Sora. He's in a world called the End of the World," Ukrix answered.

"Thank you," Roxas said as he bowed and called a dark corridor and ran into it. Ukrix watched as it disappeared and sighed. "Same old Sora!"

**Author's Note: **As you can see Ukrix is obviously Riku's Nobody. Lexi, I'm going to reveal in probably the next chapter, but his other probably in a later chapter. This is the closest thing to a rewrite I can come up towards for my previous fanfic, Tales of Darkness. Please review. And, Roxas doesn't remember Riku due to Axel kidnapping him at such a young age and he is just determined to fight Ansem and set the worlds free like Sora did in KHI.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts**

**Chapter 4**

**~Riku-Xehanort~**

Axel ran all over the castle looking for Roxas. He had tried to stop him, but to no avail the Nobody was too stubborn to listen and ran off. Every Nobody he encountered and asked said they hadn't seen Roxas or had a clue as to where he had run off to. Unexpectedly, Axel and the rest of the rest of the Organization were called to Where Nothing Gathers. Xemnas sat on his throne and glanced over to Axel, "Number VIII, have you seen Number IX?"

"No, I haven't boss. He did mention something about stopping Ansem," Axel answered.

"Then, he probably went to see him," Xemnas replied. He dismissed the meeting with all the Nobodies gathered behind him and led them down to Soundless Prison.

Larxene griped, "Why are we going after him? Just let the savage Heartless kill him. It's his fault for running off in the first place!"

Axel glared at her. He reminded himself that she wasn't worth fighting after all he would only be sinking to her childish level. She shrunk back due to the fierce glare that he gave her. "We're here," Xemnas said as he unexpectedly stopped right in front of a large metallic purple prison cell and within it was the same boy that Axel had seen in his vision.

"Ukrix, have you seen Roxas? If so, tell us where he is," Xemnas barked in a loud, vicious voice.

Ukrix looked up from his knees once more and glared at the Superior of In-Between. "Why should I tell you where he went? I refuse to speak with you or anyone else here. The only person I'll talk to is Axel, Roxas' 'brother'," the raven-haired Nobody prisoner replied.

"You must be Ukrix," Axel said as he stepped forward and approached the cell.

"Who are you?" Ukrix demanded.

"My name is Axel," Axel answered. "Roxas is my brother."

Ukrix gasped, "You're Axel!"

"Can you tell me where Roxas went? I want to save him before he gets himself killed. Please, tell me it's important," Axel pleaded.

Ukrix nodded, but then looked at all the Nobodies behind the pyromaniac, "I'll tell you, but they have to leave. I DON'T trust them!"

With that, Xemnas and the other Nobodies departed leaving the redhead and the brunette alone.

"He's in the End of the World with Ansem, the man that stole my body from me," Ukrix admitted.

"Where is that? And, why did he go after that sociopath?" Axel demanded.

Ukrix sighed, "He said he wanted to gain your approval and that he wanted to save the worlds."

**End of the World**

Roxas ran out of the portal. He landed on a beach, which seemed to be spiraling in a tornado. Roxas noticed that this world was different in that it didn't have any sky and there seemed to be nobody around. "Hello, is there anybody here?" Roxas shouted with his hands in a circle to mock a megaphone to call for anyone that lived on this island.

He saw a silver-haired boy standing on the shore of the island, which was spinning around rapidly in the tornado. The boy turned around and smiled at him, "Long time no see, Sora!"

"Hey you, how do you know my name," Roxas called to the boy, but the boy merely smirked, "I've been waiting for you to return for so long, Sora. Why didn't you return to any of us? You're the cause of this world's destruction, traitor!"

"What are you talking about?" Roxas demanded.

He started noticing that large chunks of the island began breaking off. Riku approached Sora and the boy immediately transformed into a tall, olive-skinned boy with silver hair that was somewhat spiked to one side and fell flat as it went all the way pass his knees. Riku hovered as a dark shadow broke through his back along with six keyblades; End of the World, No Name, Void Gear, Soul Eater, the Key to People's Hearts and the Kingdom Key.

Roxas brought out his own keyblade; Oathkeeper and Star Seeker and a large battle emerged as a result.

"Why are you doing this," Roxas demanded from the boy.

Riku-Xehanort remained calm. He replied, "Because, I risked everything to get you back, Sora."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas demanded.

"Then, I'll tell you my story," Riku-Xehanort replied to the teen.

**Flashback**

Riku was allowed outside after two years of his best friend's absence had passed. However, Riku was still upset about the fact that no one believed him about him having nothing to do with Sora going missing. He saw three kids, Selphie, Wakka and Tidus approach a boat near the pier. Riku ran towards them, perhaps his old friends would believe him, instead of those cruel, uncaring adults. It was worth the shot.

"Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, can I come," Riku asked as he ran towards the trio.

Instead of the usual kind greetings that his friends gave him and to everybody else on the islands, they treated with cruelty. Selphie hid behind Tidus and Tidus hid behind Wakka. Wakka glared at the boy, "What do you want, killer?"

"We don't want you near us!" Tidus cried behind Wakka's back.

"Yeah, so get lost or we'll tell," Selphie added from behind Tidus' back.

"Guys, you seriously don't believe those mean adults," Riku demanded.

"Riku, how can you explain what happened to Sora? You seriously want us to think that Sora just up and vanished in thin air," Wakka scoffed.

"Guys, I know what I saw. You gotta believe me!" Riku said.

"Yeah right like we'd believe you! We used to be friends, but not anymore not since you hurt Sora," Wakka replied as Selphie and Tidus got into the boat and rolled out to the island.

Riku was left alone on the island. He saw a star shoot down from the sky. Within seconds it landed right in front of him. A girl with short, strawberry-blonde hair landed in front of him and she was apparently still asleep. The girl opened her eyes; they were just like Sora's aqua-blue irises.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked.

The girl looked at him and replied, "Who are you? Where am I?"

Eleven years passed, Kairi and Riku grew close. She was adopted by the town's mayor. Everyone noticed how close their friendship was or if one could call it that. Nobody trusted him. And today was something extremely special for Riku, the anniversary that Sora left the islands.

"Riku, do we really have to come out here? I mean, do you really think this Sora person is going to show up on that island you guys played at when you were little?" Kairi asked as the two teens got into the boat and started rolling the oars in the ocean. They finally landed on the shore of the island that Sora and Riku played at.

"I'm sure of it! Oh Kairi, I can't wait till you meet him. He's funny, kind and..."

"Your partner in crime," Kairi added.

"Yeah, oh look we're here!" Riku exclaimed as he jumped out of the boat and instantly began hollering for Sora.

Kairi followed Riku to the 'Secret Place'; the hideout that Sora and he had always played at. Riku was sure that Sora would be here, he even hollered his name several times. "Hey Riku, let's turn back this place creeps me out," Kairi whimpered.

"You can go back to the boat, Kairi. I'm NOT leaving here without Sora! Any place he would be here," Riku replied.

"Riku, I'll help you find him. Just please let us head back! I don't want you to get into trouble, please Riku!" Kairi pleaded.

"No you don't understand. Nobody understands," Riku shouted.

Kairi left the Secret Place from freight over Riku's reaction.

"She doesn't understand, does she?" a man's voice said.

"Who is there?" Riku demanded.

"Right over here," the man's voice answered.

Riku turned around and saw a man in a yellow hooded cloak. "Who are you?" Riku repeated.

"Isn't it obvious? I've heard you wanted to find your friend, Sora. I know how to find him. All you have to do is make a deal with me," the man said.

Riku glared at the man. "What's the catch?" He demanded.

"No catch. I just want to help you find your friend," the man said.

"Fine, but there better be no tricks," Riku replied as he shook the man's sleeve.

The man smiled devilishly under his hood. A swirl of darkness broke out and a large earthquake erupted under the boy's feet. Riku glanced up towards the man, but he vanished

. "Riku," Kairi screamed as she ran to silver-haired teen.

"Kairi, we need to get out of here," Riku shouted as he grabbed her hand and the two ran out of the island towards the boat as the ground beneath them quaked even harder. A large pair of yellow eyes glowered at Riku. Riku glared at the black humanoid figure and fought it off. He saw Kairi was in trouble as she too was being attacked by the same beasts. Riku hit the beasts, grabbed Kairi's hand and lead her to the boat, where they just nearly escaped.

Riku began rolling the oars while Kairi watched in horror as the entire island vanished into the darkness. They got back to the mainland. Kairi glared at Riku. "What HAPPENED back there, Riku? Who WAS that man?" the strawberry-blonde-haired girl demanded.

"Kairi, you saw that man?" Riku asked with awe.

"Duh, of course I saw him. Who was he?" Kairi demanded.

Riku sighed and looked away.

Kairi shouted, "Who was he, Riku? Answer me!"

Riku glanced back at the strawberry-blonde teen. It was hard and he knew he could possibly lose his only friend. But, he had to tell her. "That man is the person that I made a deal with in order to find Sora," Riku confessed.

Kairi glared at him, jumped out of the boat and ran away. She glanced back at Riku and shouted, "I'm NEVER going to trust you again!"

Riku tried to chase after her.

Shortly after, the same man from the 'Secret Place' found him. He appeared right behind Riku and said in a monotone voice, "She just doesn't understand," the man said. "Very well, I'll help you find him."

**Hollow Bastion**

Riku cradled Kairi's lifeless body as Goofy and Donald's lifeless body surrounded him. The teen was reduced to tears as he glared at the hooded man in yellow known simply as Ansem. "You used me, no you used us! Why?!"

"You wanted to find your precious friend," Ansem said apparently mocking the emotional teen.

"Yeah and where is he?" Riku demanded.

"I know where exactly he is. However, you only need to do one last thing for me," Ansem replied.

"Tell me where he is," Riku demanded.

Ansem chuckled, "I'll show you!" Within a matter of seconds, he was besides Riku. The man placed his sleeve over Riku's hand. Darkness swirled into the teen's heart and then spread over him. "He is a Heartless," Ansem chuckled.

"What," Riku shrieked as the darkness consumed him and the man soon faded within his body.

**End of Flashback**

"I wanted to get you back Sora. My love for you made me into this monster. For awhile, Kairi replaced you and I wanted so much for you to come back, so that the three of us could be friends. However, it never happened. I soon found myself in an endless journey, which resulted in me losing her and two other idiots that tried to replace you. But, it all ended the same. They all died and you never came back. And, worst you made me into this beast!"

"You have caused me nothing, but agony, Sora. I hate you! And, your nonexistence ends here!"

**Meanwhile back at the Castle Never Was**

**Location: Soundless Prison**

"Lexi should be around here somewhere," Ukrix said as he walked around the lowest part of the Castle That Never Was with Axel.

"Exactly who is this Lexi person?" Axel asked. "And, how can he help us?"

Ukrix turned around and looked at him, "You'll see."

"Alright, whatever you say," Axel sighed with only a vague answer from the ebony-haired Nobody.

"Looking for me, eh, Ukrix," a boy's voice asked.

A mist of darkness swirled in front of Axel and Ukrix. An orange-haired, spiky-haired boy with black goggles and wearing the same Organization black coat that Ukrix, Axel and pretty much all the Nobodies wore stood before the two. He pulled up his goggles that obscured his eyes towards his forehead and his smoke-gray eyes were revealed. He glanced at them. "What's he doing here? Is that Organization guy giving ya trouble, Ukrix? How'd ya get out?"

"Lexi, that's not important! We have to go and save Roxas. He's facing him," Ukrix explained with that Lexi's eyes widened.

"Alright, let's go! That guy will pay for what he did to my friend and you. He'll pay dearly," Lexi said as he summoned a dark corridor for the three of them.

**Meanwhile**

Roxas was barely holding his ground against Riku-Ansem. It was hard blocking and dodging attacks against the silver-haired Heartless. "Giving up already, I thought you were stronger than that," Riku-Ansem taunted.

"Sora," two voices screamed.

Roxas was thrown back by a combination of blasts and slashes from the six keyblades from Riku-Ansem. Axel ran out of the corridor to Roxas along with Ukrix while Lexi stood in front of them blocking Riku-Ansem. "Ya not gonna hurt them, ya hear that, Ansem!" Lexi shouted.

Riku-Ansem chuckled, "You're still mad that I destroyed your friend? How unlike a Nobody that cares so much for a human. I thought you would be jealous of him being chosen by the keyblade when you-"

"Shut up!" Lexi shouted as he called out two red-orange daggers, the blades were shaped like crescent moons while the parts that Lexi held were similar to the Organization's logo and two chains with two small fires hanged from the triangular-shaped red chains.

"Lexi, he's only trying to get you to fight. Please don't fight him," Ukrix pleaded.

Lexi gave a smirk to the raven-haired boy, "Ukrix, ya get going! I'll hold off this ape! Get out of here, remember Iz's promise. Protect Roxas!"

"Yeah, I understand, but I don't want you to end up like Iz, please don't," Ukrix wept.

"Don't worry I won't. It'll take a lot more to take me down than this old grandpa," Lexi said.

Ukrix nodded and then looked to Axel, "We have to get out of here. It isn't safe for Roxas or for us."

Axel replied, "What about your friend?"

"I'll be okay," Lexi answered. "Get going!"

"Alright," Axel said as he helped Roxas and Ukrix escape.

Lexi turned back to Riku-Ansem. "Ya think ya so clever, eh, gramps! I'll make ya pay for killing Iz, here that!?"

**The World That Never Was**

**Roxas' Room**

Ukrix had unexpectedly collapsed. Roxas and Axel placed him onto Roxas' bed.

"**I won't let ya hurt them, not after what ya did Iz, creep!"**

"**You have a lot of nerve kid! You'll pay for that injury."**

"**Hmph, it looks like the Mighty Ansem isn't so mighty. Serves ya right!"**

"**Huh?"**

"Lexi," Ukrix bolted up in Roxas' bed and banged his head into Axel's.

"Gee, what was that for?" Axel complained as he rubbed his now sore forehead.

"Axel, you okay?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah fine, I'm just wondering why Ukrix immediately woke up after he unexpectedly collapsed on us," Axel retorted as he was still rubbing his forehead.

Ukrix interrupted, "It's because Lexi's dead!"

"What," Roxas and Axel said as they turned to Ukrix.

"I know you may not believe me, but after I had my body stolen from me. I was given a power. The power to sense other's pain and suffering, even though it replaced half of my memories, but it's pretty useless. I can't use it like any of you Organization guys. That's why that devil's half, Xemnas refused to let me into the Organization and locked me up in that prison, because I am linked to that monster," Ukrix explained.

"I can't believe that idiot! He said he wouldn't die," Ukrix sobbed.

A knock was heard at the door. Axel ran towards the door and saw Demyx at the door. "What's wrong?" Axel demanded.

"The castle is under attack," Demyx gasped.

Ukrix began to go into frenzy once he heard the castle was under attack. He attempted to run out of the bedroom, but only to be caught by his collar. "Why won't you let me? I need to do something," Ukrix exclaimed.

Axel began to have a flashback.

**Flashback**

"Your mind's made up?" Axel asked.

Roxas walked passed him and stopped and turned his head to the redhead. "Of course, it is. I need to know. Why did the Keyblade choose me?"

"You can't cross the Organization!" Axel said as he was no longer leaning against the wall of the skyscraper and now almost yelling at his best friend.

"Nobody will miss me. Even if we had hearts, they still won't," Roxas retorted as he walked off.

"That's not true, I would miss you," Axel sighed.

**End of Flashback**

"Why won't you let me go? I need to do something!" Ukrix repearted.

"Axel, let him go!" Roxas demanded.

"No, I won't lose anyone else! I've already had once," Axel said as he held on Ukrix's hood and refused to let the ebony-haired Nobody leave the room.

"You mean Lexi," Roxas asked.

"No," Axel answered.

"Then who," Roxas asked.

Axel remained silent. Ukrix continued to scream, while Roxas urged him to let him go. An earthquake erupted and shook the entire castle. Axel lost his leverage and fell to the floor and released Ukrix. Ukrix ran out of the room and Roxas followed after him. The redhead got back to his feet and ran after them.

Axel saw many horrifying sights as he ran after the two teens, such as Shadow Heartless crawling up from the dark abyss, which sat underneath the platform in Twilight's View. Dusks were on the platform in Hall of Empty Melodies fighting off several Neoshadows, which leapt from the peek. And, they landed on the platform and onto the white husks. Many of the Organization's members were being cornered by the Heartless like Zexion and Vexen battling some Wyverns, Larxene, Demyx and Marluxia were fighting off some Orcus Heartless. Xigbar was perched somewhere on top one of the metallic pipes shooting at an Invisible, it teleported behind him and began slashing at him with its invisible sword. Xaldin, Luxord, and Lexaeus were fighting off some Darkball Heartless. But, the only people that Axel didn't see were Roxas, Saix, Xemnas and Ukrix.

Axel finally caught up with Ukrix, but this time Roxas wasn't with him. "Where's Roxas?" the redhead demanded.

. The raven-haired boy was crouching next to someone, Saix. The redhead ran over towards the blue-haired Nobody. "Saix, Ukrix, where's Roxas? Where's the Superior? What's going on?"

"Axel, I tried to stop him! I tried to stop Roxas, but he went after Ansem. He's currently fighting with Superior against Ansem. Please Axel, stop him!" Saix said between heavy gaps. His breathing was shallow. And, blood gushed out of the torn fabric of his black coat, which exposed his pale, nude flesh. The flesh had several scratches on it made by some sort of Heartless.

"I will," Axel said as he watched the blue-haired Nobody fade. "I will protect him, promise Isa!"

**Alter of Naught**

Roxas fought with Xemnas against Riku-Ansem. "Superior, help," Roxas begged as he was thrown close to the edge of the large, white balcony. Roxas got back to his feet and ran with his two keyblades in hand to the Heartless.

Xemnas just stared at him with a bored look as the blonde kept fighting off the Heartless, but with useless attempts. Kingdom Hearts overlooked the battlefield and the Superior of In-Between was mesmerized by its sheer beauty of the light blue, transparent, heart-shaped moon and he didn't care about Roxas' struggling. "I refuse to lose Kingdom Hearts! This is my chance to reclaim what should have been mine from the beginning." The Superior disappeared right from the battlefield.

"Heh, you're really a loser, Sora, even your own boss ditched you," Riku-Ansem chuckled.

Axel managed to catch up with Roxas and just as Saix had said he was fighting with Riku-Ansem, but Xemnas was nowhere in view. "Axel, look out," Roxas shouted as Riku-Ansem sent a large blast from his six keyblades towards the redhead and raven-haired boy, Ukrix.

Roxas jumped in their way and took the attack head on. "Roxas," Axel shouted as the blonde fell to his knees and before he fell to the floor from the fierce injuries he sustained, the redhead caught him. "Don't go!"

"I'm sorry Axel," Roxas said as his body began crystallizing from his feet than to his torso. Tears ran down Axel's cheeks; this feeling he hadn't felt in a long time not since Sora became a Heartless. Crackling could be heard from the glass that immersed the boy's body and Roxas smiled at Axel and Ukrix, "I wanted to make you happy, big brother. Don't be sad!"

"Roxas don't go! Please don't fade," Axel cried.

Roxas smiled, "I'm glad Isa, you and I had ice cream in Twilight Town. I may not remember my early childhood, but I'm glad I had met you. Do me this favor and set things right, Axel-kun, will you?"

The crystallization now consumed Roxas' entire body. "I'm always with you, Axel, got it memorized?"

With that, Roxas was completely gone. Axel heard chuckling, he looked up and saw Riku-Ansem's devilish grin, "Your friend was a fool in trying to stop me. You'll soon be joining him."

Axel was pulled into a portal by Ukrix. They left the Alter of Naught and everyone within it.

**Twilight Town**

**The Old Mansion**

"Why'd you drag me from there?" Axel demanded.

Ukrix stared at him, "Because, I didn't want to lose you, I've already lost enough people, Kairi, Lexi, Roxas and Iz."

"Did someone call my name?" a boy's voice asked.

Ukrix and Axel turned around and saw a boy with blue hair and wielding a crescent-shaped keyblade approaches them. "Iz," Ukrix gasped as he ran towards the blue-haired boy and hugged him.

Axel's eyes widened as he saw the boy, he was a spinning image of Isa when he was younger, except his hair was much longer and lacked any spikes and his eyes were silver-gray. "Iz, how did you survive? I thought you were dead," Ukrix asked.

Iz replied, "That's not important right now, Ukrix. Where are Roxas and Lexi?"

"They're-" Ukrix said with a downtrodden expression. "…dead!"

Iz sighed and then approached Axel, "We have to set things right. Follow me!"

**The End of the World**

Iz stayed behind in the basement of Twilight Manor or rather the Old Mansion. Twilight Town was the only place that wasn't corrupted, because it laid in the realm of In-Between and also, because like Axel said earlier, "That place was where we had ice cream and watched the sunset. It was the only place where we belonged, neither darkness nor light, just in-between."

Iz gave Axel a pair of black goggles, the same ones that Lexi wore. "They have a communicator in them; we'll stay in contact. Axel, this is the only way to set things right! Lexi, Ukrix and I may not exist, but it's worth it. Lexi was willing to give up his 'existence' and so am I, this is also for Ukrix. He'll understand!"

Axel took the goggles and used a dark corridor to go to the End of the World. Iz knew what Axel did to screw up time and he offered the nobody a chance to redeem himself. Axel was torn about it, because he would have to return to a world where Saix was a jerk and Roxas was in a boy that Axel was enemies with. It wasn't fair! And, Axel just wished that this world, despite all of its flaws didn't have to change, because he was truly happy here, because Isa and Roxas were here. However, Axel had to change back to the way it was, even if it wasn't what Axel wanted, but the pyromaniac put his petty differences aside.

Axel was in the End of the World on the beach where Lexi faded and also where Roxas fought Riku-Ansem. He managed to find the door thanks to the help of a Heartless, a blue-eyed Neoshadow. It lead him to the door before disappearing. "Thanks Lea, I'll never forget you, got it memorized?" the Heartless said before departing.

Axel exited through the door and took one last glance back. "Lexi, Ukrix, Saix, Iz, Roxas, thanks for everything. I won't forget it! Got it memorized?"

Axel was now back in the 'Secret Place', Riku and Sora's hiding place. He used a dark corridor to go back to Radiant Gardens. Sora was where he had last left him and it was seconds right before Lea and Isa came upon him. "Come on, Sora, we gotta go," Axel said to the little boy.

The little boy glared at him, "Why should I trust you? You're just going to leave me at some strange place!"

"If we don't go, Sora, they'll find you! And, it'll ruin a lot of people's lives! Trust me on this," Axel said to the little boy.

"So what if they find me, I will be away from you, you big meanie," Sora scowled.

Axel sighed, "Listen Sora, I'm sorry for what I did. You have to trust me on this; I'll take you back to your home."

"You promise," Sora demanded giving Axel suspicious glares.

"I promise," Axel retorted.

"Pinky swear," Sora said as he held up his pinky-finger out.

"Alright, pinky swear," Axel retorted as he rolled his eyes. He picked up the child and used a dark corridor and vanished from Radiant Garden.

Lea and Isa were now at the spot where Sora and Axel had been moments before. "Lea, are you okay?" Isa asked.

"I feel sad, let's leave," Lea said as he turned away from the castle and walked down the stairs with a confused Isa following close behind.

"Alright, if you say so, Lea," Isa replied and the two left the castle for that day.

Sora and Axel returned to Destiny Islands. The redhead placed the small boy on the sand and the boy ran towards Riku. He tackled the silver-haired boy to the sand, "Riku, I missed you!"

"Sora, did you go somewhere?" Riku asked with a confused expression on his face.

"It's a long story, Riku, something that you won't even believe," Sora chuckled.

"Okay, whatever you say Sora. I'll raise you back to the boat," Riku smirked as he pushed Sora off of him, leapt to his feet and started running to the pier with Sora chasing after him crying, "No fair, Riku. You're cheating!"

Axel sighed as he watched the two boys disappear from view, "Roxas, I'm sorry!"

"Axel," a voice said.

Axel turned around to see a boy in a black coat. The boy lowered his hood and the redhead's eyes widened.

"Roxas," Axel gasped.

"Axel, give this to Sora, he's the only one that can stop the Organization and free Kingdom Hearts," Roxas said as he handed Axel a white and blue keyblade, it looked sort of like a cross between Saix's claymore and the Two Become One (Roxas' keyblade, which sort of looks like a cross between Oblivion and Oathkeeper). "It's called Dawn to Dusk, we'll always be friends, got it memorized?" Roxas said with a smile before he vanished.

Axel picked up the keyblade and disappeared within the white door. He was back in Timeless River. Sora, Goofy and Donald could be heard and they were approaching. Axel placed the Keyblade on the ground and left. And, just as Roxas had said Sora found it, Dawn to Dusk. How ironic that name was and how it looked, it was a fragment of what that distorted time he had created, knowing Sora good would come from that keyblade. Axel was now back at the clock tower in Twilight Town watching the sunset and eating Sea-Salt Ice cream alone. It was better this way, right?

**THE END**


End file.
